Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
Painted in 1537, the portrait of Henry VIII (1491-1547) by the Swiss-German artist Hans Holbein the Younger is, as the video essayist Evan Puschak (aka the Nerdwriter) puts it in this short, ‘arguably the most famous portrait of royalty ever painted’. It’s also ‘a lie’, portraying the infamous English monarch as imposing, commanding and virile in a moment when both his physical and political power was in decline, and his lack of a male heir was considered a major liability. Centring his analysis on the most protrudent codpiece the English king sports in the painting, Puschak makes the case that, although very few people ever saw the piece during Henry VIII’s life, it’s a masterful work of political propaganda which still shades how he’s viewed today.
Video by The Nerdwriter
video
Subcultures
Drop into London’s eclectic skate scene, where newbies and old-timers find community
5 minutes
video
Wellbeing
Born in China, Zee seeks a gender-affirming life in the American Midwest
11 minutes
video
Rituals and celebrations
A whale hunt is an act of prayer for an Inuit community north of the Arctic Circle
8 minutes
video
Music
The peculiar beauty of a song caught between composition and improvisation
3 minutes
video
Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
video
Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
33 minutes
video
Love and friendship
Love looks a bit different for a chain-smoking couple in a small apartment
11 minutes
video
Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
13 minutes
video
The ancient world
The six priestesses who kept the flame of ancient Rome alight at risk of death
5 minutes